History of the necklace

A necklace is a jewel which has been worn by both men and women for ages. People especially worn them in order to distinguish themselves from other cultures. Historians don’t agree concerning the date of the first necklace.

Some say that the first necklace was found in South-Africa and was as much as 75.000 years old. Others believe that the oldest chain dates from 30.000 years before Christ. Both groups however agreed about the fact that those chains consisted of bones, teeth and shells.

Only 2500 years before Christ the necklaces were made of gold. These necklaces were decorated with all kinds of shapes. The Egyptians brought the manufacture technique of necklaces to a higher plane and made sure that the necklace became a true part of the outfit. These expensive necklaces were mainly worn by the elite and were usually buried together with the deceased person. People continued manufacturing these necklaces in this way, for hundreds of years. Also, people were so impressed by the golden necklaces and for this reason they became bigger and bigger. The more gold around your neck, the more prestige.

Nowadays everybody wears necklaces and it has become an accessory which should not fail. Thanks to the new techniques necklaces can now also be made of other materials (instead of just gold) which makes necklaces available in all price ranges. You want to know more about the various kinds of jewellery materials? On the homepage you will find more information about it: jewellery materials.